Sunday, October 21, 2007

This is the last Norbtek.info Podcast. Yep, I’m closing the Doors here at Norbtek, well, sort of. As I told you weeks ago, I was going to change things and the time is now. I will be giving you less & more, different and the same. Intrigued, well hang around and find out what’s happening.

Norbtek has been a proud member of the Techpodcasts.com network, "If its tech its here", and also the Blubrry.comPodcast Community. Whether you are a PODCASTER or a LISTENER, there is something for you at Blubrry.com. Check us out along with the other great shows at B-l-u-b-r-r-y.com.

First off I want to apologize for the lateness of this podcast. Usually it’s only 2-3 weeks, but it has been almost a month. Well I have been working hard on the new project and that has consumed my time, along with daily family life. I also went to Disneyland for a week, so that did not help on the podcasting front. But I wanted to thank each and every one of you that have downloaded any or all of my podcasts over the last 2-1/2 years. You have made this journey exciting and definitely worth it. So I’m not giving up, just going to change it all up.

The podcast has been revamped; the blog has been totally re-built from the ground up with a fresh new look and feel and I even have a new delivery method. I wanted to reach out to more people and the only way to do that was to be delivering content more often. So, I’m going to be coming to you every day. Yep that’s right, every day. Now you’re saying “How is he going to put out a daily 30-40 minute show when he could not put one out but once every 2-3 weeks?” Well, I’m not a masochist; I will not be putting out 30-40 minute podcasts on a daily basis, but I will put out a 10 minute or so podcast each day focusing on one tech item rather than the way I have been doing it with a whole bunch of items.This is the Less & More & the Different. This is the Daily Podcast

Now some of you might say, “Hey, I liked those themed shows with a bunch of items all related some how. “ Don’t worry; I will still be putting those types of shows out because I love doing them. This is the Same. This is the Extended Podcast.

The site has an all new name, look, and feel. I decided to get with the times and go to one of the best and more flexible blogging platforms. So I’m moving to WordPress and utilizing a plugin called PodPress that allows me to have a Flash player in the post which allows you to listen to the associated podcast. You have seen them on many other podcasts I’m sure. But the really cool thing about this plugin is that I can put out a specialized feed for Categories. This was the Holy Grail for me. It gave me the ability to have 3 feeds for the show; Daily, Extended, and Comprehensive feeds. I wanted to give you the listener an ala cart option to the podcast. Something you aren’t getting with Cable or Satellite TV, or any podcast as far as I’m aware of.

I don’t know if I ever mentioned how Norbtek.info came into being. Well about three years ago I was talking to some co-workers about Hi-Def TVs, mp3 players, DVRs and such because I am the guy that is into all that kind of stuff. Well, one of our friends came up and asked what was going on and, Rodman Marquez said, “Talking with Norbtech.” That was it, right after we adjourned I was on GoDaddy looking up “Norbtech”. Well, it was taken by a German firm. So I changed up the spelling to use a ‘k’ in place of the ‘ch’. No one had take it. I opted for the “.INFO” instead of the “.COM” because the .info was $.99 for the first year. Hey I’m cheap, what can I say. Besides, I had no idea where Norbtek would go. I got a free site on Tripod-Lycos and wham I was on the internet with a spot to where I could help my friends and family and hopefully others.

Around that time I was traveling to a remote jobsite a few times a month. I had been downloading Ken Radio episodes and putting a bunch of them on my Dell AXIM X5 and playing them in the car during the 1-1/2 hour each-way commute. Well, I wanted something better, something automatic. I had not gotten an iPod as yet because I could not afford one and was not sure if I wanted an iPod as there were a lot of other mp3 players on the market. Well, I found a couple of web based tech shows that I could download; Chuck Chat, In the Trenches, and Geek News Central. WOW! This stuff was cool! And then I found Doppler, so I could automatically download episodes everyday and move them to my Dell AXIM. This was way cool. And it was called a PODCAST. “How cool;” I thought to myself, “I bet could do this too and call it the Norbtek.info Podcast.” And on May 15th I hit the internet again in podcast form.

After 2-1/2 years working out of town on a 3 hour total commute and 65K on my truck I am at another remote jobsite, but only 30 minutes one way from the house. I was having troubles getting through all the podcasts that I was currently subscribed to. They were all getting longer and longer. 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour and now some are 90 minutes long. Well, I realized how that impacts my listening to the podcast. Sometimes I just fast foreword through them or skip them all together. Man, what a drag. I decided that I wanted to have a commuter friendly podcast so that I would not lose listeners. But I liked doing the longer shows. So the new podcast will give me and I hope you the listener the best of both worlds.

You will be able to pick how you want to listen to the podcast. Do you want just a short daily show, the normal episodes types that I have been producing, or would you like both of them? Well, you have a choice now.

I now invite you to come on over and check out my Totally Cool Tech website. Oh, just so you are not confused, that IS the name of the new site and podcast, Totally Cool Tech. And this time “tech” is spelled T-E-C-H.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Its Coming...

I have been promising you something that is Less and More. Well, after my trip to Disneyland this next week, I will reveal what is coming. I know you will be pleased. I have been working on it for a while and am excited to bring it to you.

Staples is having an awesome sale on PNY flash drives. Most notably the 4GB memory stick for $30. And it has ready boost. So if you are not a fan of the San Disk U3 technology, then this is a great alternative. Get yours while you have the chance.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Less is more

This is a simple truth. Working in the construction field for the last 15 years of my life, this concept is so true. But then again, More IS More. I want to give you the readers of this blog and listeners of the Norbtek.info Podcast More, and Less, at the same time. How can one fit 10lbs of stuff in a 5lb bag? Well, as a Mechanical Coordinator, this is what I do for a living, fitting gobs of mechanical utilities into a really tight space. I struggled on how to do that with the podcast and the blog for a while and then it came to me, I'll just (TOP SECRET INFORMATION DELETED).

Yes, this will be exciting. I have been working hard on this for a few months now (much to my wife's chagrin). So be expecting the change to begin here in the next month or so. I am still working out a few bugs and polishing things up. I don't think anyone will be disappointed. I will be giving you Less and More.

So keep watching and listening. More dateils on when the change will happen.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Halo 3 Mt. Dew Soda - gamers delight

Halo 3 Mt. Dew. What will they think of next!! Not bad flavor, a bit sweet for me, but willing to get used to it. Just what we Halo fans needed... another collectible. Run out and get yourself some as it is a limited edition.